Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-07-28
SECTIONAL HATRED.
Cleveland's Terrible Arrangement of Sc
Seeking Observation-Disclosures.

Cleveland's Terrible Arrangement of Self
Seeking Observation-Disclosures.
"While those who fought and who
have SO much to forgive lead in the
pleasant ways of peace, how wicked
appear the traffic in sectional hate and
the betrayal of patriotic sentiment"
These words of the President of the
United States, combining the loftiest
patriotism with sober censure of re-
cent Incorporate utterances concern
ing the rescinded battle-fag order,
'frenZied appeals to passion for I'M
worthy purposes will confirm and
extend the feeling of confidence and
respect which is entertained for the
Administration by vast majority of
the people of this country. They are
the words of a man who conceives for
patriots nobler duty than the sys-
tematic treasuring up of the memories
and the visible symbols of civil strife,
a more useful occupation than the
frequent and fiery iteration of
principles which none disputes
and which are no where more heartily
and fully recognized than among those
whose defeat esta blished them forever.
They come from the heart of a Presi-
dent whose election marked the close
of the war period-the first President
of the completely reunited Republic
and they evince love of country such
as the traffickers in sectional hate GER
tainly can not feel and probably can
not comprehend. Yet this is only a
single sentence among many equally
notable in the Presidents letter to the
Secretary of the Philadelphia Brigade
upon the reunion on the field OF Get
tysburg of the Union of eX-Confed-
crate soldiers who fought there with
such desperate valor twentY-four years
ago.
AS a dignified and proper rebuke
of the self -seeking partisans who have
of lac attracted some public attention
by cursing and denouncing the Presi-
dent, this letter is well-nigh matchless
in its perfection. A more terrible ar
r:tignment of the Fairchilds and Tan !
oers and other apostles of bitterness |
whom the flag incident brought into |
prominence could not be framed without /
wide departure from those stand
ards of verbal propriety which Presi-
dent is constrained to respect. What
severer thing can be said Of man
than that his conduct shows an ''insin-
cerity which conceals hatred by pro-
LESSONS of kindness;" that he is a
maker of ''frenzied appeals to passion
for unworthy purposes" and that he
is engaged in '.the traffic in sectional
hate and the betrayal of patriotic SEN
timentP" With rare aptress Mr.
Cleveland packs into one preg-
nant phrase a characterization of
the ''bloody-shirt'' issue which is
strictly true and stingingly Sc
severe THE traffic in sectional hate
is a phraze which throws the revealing
light of the 'just word" OYER the base
business in which not a few eminent
citizens of the Northern States are
still actively engaged. And this de-
served censure of Fairchild and his
kind is Joined to sentiments which APP
peal with force to every American citi-
zen who sincerely loves his country,
his whole country. at surely can not
be wrong" writes the President, ito
desire the settled quiet which lights for
our entire country the path to pros
perlIy anu RredIneSSi nor Hceu INC IT'S
sons of the war be forgotten and its re-
suits jeopardized in the wish for that
genuine fraternity which insures Ma
tional pride and glory"
The obliteration of sectional lines
and the quieting of sectional passion
gre precio us results OF MIR. Cleve-
lands election. The extent to which
these res.Jts have been achieved is not
yet generally recognized. 1t is meas
ured to the public eye by the increas-
ing frequency of reunions and of ex-
changes of greetings between the sol
dicrs of the Union army and those who